In two months’ time, we’ll likely know who won the 2024 presidential election – but if the 2020 election was any indication, that’s no guarantee that people like Donald Trump will abide by the results if they’re not favorable to them.
With that in mind, Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-Wyckoff), alongside his GOP colleague Don Bacon (R-Nebraska), launched a new initiative this morning called the “Unity Commitment,” in which representatives pledge to acknowledge the winner of the 2024 election regardless of party and assist in the peaceful transition of power in any way possible.
“After this election, America will have the rule of the mob unless the commonsense majority stands up,” the pledge states. “It’s never been more critical for our leaders to embrace the enduring idea that America is and must always be one nation.”
The Unity Commitment has, thus far, been signed by a bipartisan group of 32 House members, most of whom are members of the moderate Problem Solvers Caucus that Gottheimer co-chairs. In a sign of the asymmetricality of the issue, though, 26 of the signatories are Democrats, while just six are Republicans. (One other New Jerseyan besides Gottheimer, Democratic Rep. Donald Norcross, signed the commitment.)
It’s likely that many other House members, especially Democrats, will have an interest in joining the commitment or signing something similar; Gottheimer said on Twitter that he “look[s] forward to having even more Members join ahead of the election.”
The commitment includes three pledges: acknowledging the 2024 election winner as the legitimate president, attending their inauguration in person, and “serving as a voice for calm and reconciliation and speaking out against those who endorse or engage in violence that harms people, property, or public spaces.”
One notable promise that the commitment does not require of its signatories, however, is voting to certify the results of the election when the matter comes before Congress in January 2025. The certification of the 2020 election, of course, was what triggered the January 6 attack on the Capitol in 2021 – and even following that attack, 139 GOP House representatives, a majority of the party’s conference, still voted to overturn Joe Biden’s victory.
Nonetheless, Gottheimer said that the Unity Commitment is an important step towards cooler rhetoric and a more peaceful electoral process than has been seen in recent years.
“Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle have a responsibility to demonstrate true leadership ahead of this critical election and serve as a voice for calm,” Gottheimer said. “Our ‘Unity Commitment’ offers a framework for Members to work together and communicate their respect for the electoral process, regardless of who wins. We all swore an oath to protect and defend the Constitution – and that begins with defending the integrity of our elections.”